Thursday, December 5, 2013

An Interview with Chris Malki, Founder and CEO of Hockeytron

Here at Hockeytron, we not only want to give you the best deals for hockey equipment, but also give you an inside look at the industry and a more detailed look at all things equipment.  Our first post is an interview with Chris Malki, the founder and CEO of Hockeytron.  Chris has worked in the hockey equipment in the market for over a decade, and continues to be one of the leading whole sale distributors.  He also founded Hockeygiant, Hockeymonkey and Hockeyplus.  When he's not at the rink, Chris can be found at the Hockeytron store designing more equipment.

When did you first discover the sport of ice hockey? What did you like about it?    

I started playing hockey when I was 6 in Montreal, Canada.  My parents could not afford to buy me full hockey gear so I played street hockey until I was 11.   Everyone played hockey in Quebec and the Canadiens in Montreal were very inspiring in the 70s!

Who was/were your favorite player(s) growing up?   

Guy Lafleur, Yvan Cournoyer and Ken Dryden

What made you want to start producing your own line of hockey equipment?   

When I realized that the manufacturers were literally gauging us hockey players

How does someone design their own hockey stick?      

First you find a factory that has manufactured other sticks for other major manufacturers in the past,  then you obtain samples of all the different sticks and ask for the exact materials that were used.  You then start testing what they already have available.  You then contact composite factories for better materials.  You then look for the best possible resins.  Get the weight down, get balance and protect the major breakpoints with strong slash proof materials.

What are the most popular curves?  

The Malki ( P92 ) , Jarvis ( P88 ) and the Dvorak ( PM9 )

How do you design the color schemes on the sticks?  

You have your graphic artist design a stick graphic that is both noticeable on the ice and is conservative looking.

Why did you choose the name HockeyTron?    

It was the only short hockey name available on godaddy.com   The Tron has been used many times in the past as a suffix.  Jumbotron, Scantron etc

How many retail stores carry Hockeytron equipment?  

Close to 500 stores worldwide

Who tests the equipment?      

Several high end hockey players including the Junior Pro team from Ontario,  the Waterloo Siskins.

What's next for Hockeytron?   

Better skates ( both inline and ice ), Lacrosse, HECC approved player and goalie helmets.  More shields.  Jerseys for other sports and high end patented product!

Thanks Chris for your time and keep up the great work
Join us next week for another inside look at hockey equipment!